


Spoils of War

by ANathanPS



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Multi, My First Work in This Fandom, Plot Twists, The Iliad References, antigone references, attack on titan but make it political, everybody has different perspective, everything is either slowburn or angst as hell, fleabag references, inspired by everything really, kind of?, lays of ancient rome references, there is no in between
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-15 05:14:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28933116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ANathanPS/pseuds/ANathanPS
Summary: "Do you feel a sense of achievement?""In what regard?""In any regard,""I have achieved that which my previous successor never could. I have united them in common cause,""Hm. You have achieved momentary respite. A unity forged under false pretense will never be a unity that prevails,"Where things were a bit different when Eren didn't kiss Historia's hand.================================Set during season 3 part 2
Relationships: Armin Arlert/Annie Leonhart, Eren Yeager & Original Female Character(s), Eren Yeager/Original Female Character(s), Hange Zoë & Original Female Character(s), Hange Zoë/Original Character(s), Jean Kirstein & Original Female Character(s), Jean Kirstein/Original Female Character(s), Levi & Original Character(s), Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)/Original Female Character(s), Mikasa Ackerman/Eren Yeager, Moblit Berner/Hange Zoë, Original Female Character/Original Male Character, Reiner Braun/Original Female Character(s), Sasha Blouse & Connie Springer
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	1. EXTENDED SUMMARY

_ [SUMMARY!] _

_ SPOILS OF WAR _

_ “Called it a ripple effect. So small at first but look at how they grow. _

_ Yet, someone has to start them first.” _

_ -Grandmother Willow, Pocahontas _

𓂀 _ Sajalheim. _ The free city that no one knows where it was or how to get into the city. It’s only job was to record the world’s history dated back from 2,000 years ago.

Until the day Erwin Smith’s passed away in the mission to take back Shingashina, a notorious whore of the underworld came blazing away while carrying a message from the High Priestess. One sentence that could change the fate of humanity.

_ You are invited to Sajalheim _

_ -Signed by The High Priestess, Andromeda First of Her Name. _

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ATTACK ON TITAN JUST THE OC AND SOME OF THE PLOTLINES. THIS IS JUST MY WAY OF SAYING THAT I WANT THE SURVEY CORPS TO HAVE MORE ADVENTURE OUTSIDE. ENJOY THE STORY!


	2. CAST

_ [CAST!] _

_ SPOILS OF WAR _

𓂀

_ “ _ **MY DUTY WAS ONLY TO SERVE THE HIGH PRIESTESS. SO IF IT COMES TO A DECISION WHETHER I MUST CHOOSE YOU OR HER, I WILL CHOOSE HER,** _ ” _

**_MARIE LESTRANGE_ ** **| “** THE SPY **”**

****

_ “ _ **IT IS ONLY MY WISH TO DISCOVER SOMETHING BEYOND. WHO KNOW? MAYBE SOMEDAY I GET TO SEE HEAVEN ON EARTH,** _ ” _

**_AMUNET BINTI AHMED_ ** **| “** THE ADVENTURER **”**

****

_ “ _ **I AM SORRY THAT IT MUST COME TO THIS. BUT, IF WE WANT TO BUILD A NEW FREEDOM, THE OLD MUST BE PUT TO REST,** _ ” _

**_CONSTANTINE BADARACCO_ ** **| “** THE NAVIGATOR **”**

****

_ “ _ **THE WORLD DOESN’T REVOLVE AROUND WHO GETS TO HATE WHOM. IF YOU BUILD THE FOUNDATION ON HATE WOULDN’T YOU SAY THAT YOU ARE THE SAME AS YOUR ANCESTOR,** _ ” _

**_FREYJA SOLDOTTIR_ ** **| “** THE TINKER **”**

****

_ “ _ **THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS HAVE VIOLENT ENDS,** _ ” _

**_HAEJIN IM_ ** **| “** THE SCHOLAR **”**

****

_ “ _ **I AM NOT HERE TO ACT AS A TEACHER. BUT, I AM NOT HERE TO ACT AS YOUR ENEMY EITHER. I AM HERE TO TELL YOU WHAT PART DID YOU PLAY IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS,** _ ” _

**_ANDROMEDA_ ** **| “** THE HIGH PRIESTESS **”**


	3. Letters to You; A 2,000 Year Old Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: it was supposed to happen in 851. my bad

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_𓂀_

The district that was near Stohess was notorious to be a red light district for those who seek the pleasurable desire of the physical. This night especially was more packed than ever with how many soldiers celebrated an uncanny feat. The survey corps, to be exact, had managed to seal the Maria Wall. The villagers and soldiers all rejoiced of this amazing accomplishment because it took them almost four years to seal it. Now, they were in the process of cleaning the area so the occupants could live again in the vast land.

Echoes of people in the bar singing and laughing was heard throughout the whole district. A group of drunken men was laughing while in the main street couples and family alike were smiling, happy for the occasion. From the opened windows, others could hear the moaning of men and women doing business as usual. It was not unusual to see fellow civilians and soldiers ease their growing tension through the woman who provided service. So, it was not weird to see a survey corps member to see a person that they usually go to when in need of comfort.

Hence, the usual window of a harlot called Marie was closed to offer her usual guest a sense of privacy because of shame or men’s ego she had no idea. The silence of the brothel house put a spur on him since he knew no one would be able to listen to him. It was a lie, of course. If anyone came across the front door of her room they would hear them and contemplate whether they should interfere or not. Marie sounded like she was murdered not fucked out of her life.

The man above her had pinned her down on the bed, her back facing him, making sure that she had limited space to move. He had grasped both of her wrist and fucked her like a wild animal. Their sweat conjoined and permeated the air like a perfume of desperation. She groaned when he hit that spot that would make her feet tingle and she freed her wrist from his clutches to grab his hair. The man above her grunt in pain but it surged him to do it more rough than before.

“Relax, Marie. You’re gripping me too tight,” he squeezed out his words.

“Well, you should start by not doing this too fast,” she told him in between breaths and groans.

Her voice grew higher than before and he had no choice but to kiss her to shut her up. He kissed her fervently and Marie had done the same to him. His tongue that was stroking hers and his hands that were gently roaming her body contrasted with how fast he was thrusting. They hit that note pretty quickly when his groan became a higher pitch than his usual. Marie shivered when she could feel his essence dripping down from her core to the sheets below. He finally got off her and laid down, catching his breath while doing so. He gazed upon the room and found that it was quite bare. Usually, he heard that a whore would try to decorate the place to feel at ease but it seemed that it was not what Marie wanted.

“You were doing it rougher than usual,” Marie groaned while she tried to find a comfortable position to lay down.

“Sorry, I just had to take my mind off. I could treat you with a nice dinner down the road,” he offered.

“And left me again like the last time you offered? Don’t make me laugh,” she laughed.

She opened a cabinet near her bed and took out a cigarette with a cardboard filled with matchsticks. She didn’t forget to cover her bruised body –courtesy of the man who made it –with a shirt that he usually wore every day. He in turn put on pants to cover up his junk and continued to admire the lost beauty of the red district. Personal attachment was something that Marie cannot do and he respected that.

She was alluring, really.

Marie’s was not a bad looking woman so to say. Her blue eyes reminded Jean of the sky when it was summer where the clouds were not visible. Her hair that could be compared to the fine threads that you could see in Mitras. She explained earlier in their meeting that she had a fair bit of an accident that involved her and a silk trader. The horses of a cart that was pushing gallons worthy of industrial paint had gone wild and splashed the surrounding area. Unfortunately, she was there and it had left a stain of blue and red seeping in the tips of her hair. It suited her, he thought.

Her confidence paired with her great looks were hard to come by especially when her occupation demanded her so much of her life. Women who usually worked in the whore house didn’t live a long life with the lingering diseases that could be transmitted sexually. But lucky for her, she managed a whole five years without it. He didn’t know what kind of magic work did but he was glad because it saved him countless times. The first time that he had met her was when Stohess district had become a battleground between the female titan and Eren. The victory of the survey corps was celebrated for they had captured the traitor. The MPs had hired whores from nearby brothel houses to pay the survey corps out of respect –when really it was out of spite. There he had met her. It was the first time he felt the pleasure of a woman’s touch –beside his mother. She took his virginity with ease and left him a lasting night that was imprinted on his mind.

She knew, of course, how he was in love with another woman. But, a whore could not choose her clients background so she settled with it. At least, they were not together yet.

“So, Jean, mind telling me what the hell’s going on in the survey corps that make you like this?”

“How do you know something’s up in the corps?” he raised his eyebrow.

“Please, you only came to me when things began to grow stressful there. You’ll pick up a line or two from a person’s body movement the longer you stay with them,” she scoffed at him.

He sighed in defeat. Marie knew him all too well. She opened the window to let the night air in so that the smell of sex could get out of the room and she really needed a smoke. She lit it up and watched as the smoke mingled with the air in the district. He moved towards his spot on the bed to stand beside her. He looked towards the lively street that reminded him of his frustration.

“The corps is in a tight spot right now. With Erwin dead, we are contemplating whether the next one could fill in their spot as a Commander. Mind you, the impression that was left by Erwin left a pretty big hole to fill,”

“Can’t imagine what it felt like for the successor,” she stated with a worried tone in her words.

“I could not disagree with you. Besides a Commander must be able to prove that they have the drive to lead a whole army filled with curious bastards,”

“That I couldn’t agree more,” she laughed with mirth.

He went to fix her shirt to protect her from the night air. That was when he noticed the tattoo near the base of her neck. It was small so he had no idea that it was placed there on her skin. The tattoo was a picture of an eye with two stripes –one curling beneath it. Jean’s silence made Marie curious and her eyes went to glance what he was doing. His curious eyes made her finally cover it up.

“It’s a tattoo of my tribe,” she informed him to satiate his curiosity.

“What does it symbolize?” he asked further.

Marie moved away from the window while flicking the rest of her cigarette –she already put it out before. She tried to get comfortable because it would be a long story to tell. She dragged Jean away from the crowd and sat him down. She took out a matchstick and lit up a candle near the table. She moved her blonde hair away from her neck so he could take a closer look.

“My tribe is very notorious to be religious in their own way. The tattoo was taken from a story about a god beyond the wall who protects those in need of help. We called it the eye of Horus, Protector of Mankind,”

“Your tribe, where are they now?” he asked.

“They live far in the North. We are not someone who settled down on a land. We, at least, like to entertain ourselves that we are free from the Walls and thanks to you they no longer confined themselves in Wall Rose,” she smiled while her eyes glistened with the memories from her home.

Marie missed her home more than anything but duty demanded that she stayed here to provide a necessary job for her tribe. She missed how the fresh air would flow through her body or how the stars would light up without care. Here, you can’t even see the stars anymore for the sky had closed itself off from fumes. She wondered how they were but her wonderings will soon come to an end. The retake of Wall Maria is a sign that her mission will soon come to an end. She knew that she was going to come home soon. She just needed to do one tiny thing to reach that goal.

While Marie was distracted by her thought, Jean admired the tiny information he had of her. He couldn’t imagine it. A God beyond the wall. It was not long ago that he knew of the outside world courtesy of the information that was retrieved from Jaeger's basement. If it was true, then there were myriads of cultures outside and that already overwhelmed him. Knowing that there was someone who praised other Gods would only melt his brain.

He traced the tattoo out of curiosity and found out that it was as smooth as her skin. He thought that it would feel like a scar but he thought wrong. Jean’s hand woke Marie up from her reverie and she swatted his hands away afraid that it would insinuate other things that would lead to another round of intense but pleasurable sex. She took off the shirt that she was wearing and threw it at his face.

“You should go. Can’t have someone who is going to be receiving the honorary badge from the queen will be late to the occasion for tomorrow,” she smirked.

“And how would you know that?”

Jean stumbled trying his best to put on his clothes to appear at least decent in the public eyes. Marie went down to her wardrobe to put on a skirt and a white blouse while tying up her blonde –almost white hair. 

“Please, everyone’s been talking about it,”

She pushed him towards the front door, a sign that his presence was no longer welcomed here. Jean was almost at the front door when he put his hands on the doorway to stop the oncoming force that came from Marie. She, however, knew how strong he was stopped altogether and just crossed her hands.

“Will you be at the ceremony then?”

She merely shrugged.

“I don’t know. Let’s see about that. You do know I have to get back to the tribe as soon as possible,”

“Come on think about it as a last goodbye,”

She scrunched her eyebrows and looked at him to see if he had any ulterior motives. Finally, she sighed and glared at him.

“I suppose I can stop by since I have something to do in Mitras as well,”

Marie had finally shoved Jean out of her room and locked it for good measure. She began to gather her belonging and left unnecessary things that she did not intend to bring home. Closing the curtain of the bedroom window, she began to pick a loose floorboard and saw additional supplies such as coins, a flare gun, and surprisingly a shotgun that she had gained from an MP.

There was a time when an MP came to the brothel searching for a good fuck and forgot to bring some coins. He was not a good customer since he had bit, scratched and dragged her. As a collateral, he gave her the most precious possession he had at that time. It happened to be the shotgun that he was not meant to lose to a civilian. She opened a sole carton that laid on the secret space and found the bullets.

40.

She only had 40 bullets to do her last mission. Marie might need to venture to some night market to get more bullets and spend a few coins to shut the seller up. She began to find several ways to wrap up her mission. She could do it in a few hours after she wrote the last entry. She took out a notebook that was slightly torn but overall in a good shape. She took out her quill and ink and contemplated what she was about to write in her entry.

**_Paradis Island, 851_**

**_The Wall Maria has been reclaimed once more. The mission to record and retrieve information inside the wall for my time has been completed. It was altered slightly to compensate the Commander for giving information and by order of the High Priestess –_ **

𓂀 

That day was the official time Hanji had been appointed as Commander of the Survey Corps. They needed to clear out Erwin’s old room of old documents and other personal belongings since he had no family to come home too. The old recruits such as Eren, Sasha, Connie, and Mikasa had helped her to separate which ones needed to be burned, stashed, and reviewed in case there were some important documents that they needed.

She ordered the cadets to clean the office while she went to the late Commander’s bedroom. It was scarce of personal belongings. She could only pinpoint Erwin’s old things such as drawings that he placed on his desk and his favourite books that he wouldn’t show anyone. He was a secretive man so not many people got to know him personally. But, he showed it to at least his squad leader. She went to the drawings and remembered the time when he would complain how long he sat still just for a picture.

It was placed on his desk with several drawings such as him and his father, when he was a squad leader, and when he was the commander. Hange was reminded of every single period Erwin had gone through. She picked the ones where he sat alone in a very graceful manner like any other commander of the military branch. Yet, now it was only a bitter memory since he was long gone, six-feet underground. That was when she finally found the odd drawing.

It was a picture of a sun setting on the horizon, trees, and a city. What captured her eyes were the vast bodies of water that she had never seen before. The odd thing about that picture was also the material of it. When she held that picture, she noticed how it didn’t stain her hand. The cost of this drawing must be quite hefty since it was rather hard to get a material that would last forever and didn’t stain. But it was so detailed that she still couldn’t believe that it was a drawing to begin with.

“Hange, you need to take a look at this,”

Hange heard Eren called from the main room where she always found Erwin in a pile of paperwork. The picture was forgotten and placed back to its original place. She marched towards said room and found Eren rummaging through a box that he must have found stacked near Erwin’s old drawer since she noticed how Mikasa and Connie coming in and out of the room to put the boxes away while the others were sorting to what was important and not.

In Eren’s hand were a bunch of letters that was the first thing that she noticed. He looked exceptionally confused since he had read some of its content.

“What is it, Eren?”

“I didn’t know Commander Erwin was closed to the Church of the Walls higher ups,”

Hange, however, couldn’t back his statement because she didn’t know that he was close with them. Erwin’s may have not expressed it directly but there was a reason why he didn’t worship them. A cynic, the people of the church would call him. But, she wasn’t willing to share that personal information of Erwin to Eren just like that. So, she could merely sigh at him and kneeled next to him while scanning the letter.

“Commander Erwin wasn’t exactly willing to share information so freely. But, I’m sure he had his reasons why,”

The letter was sent to one of the higher ups. The name had a nice ring to it.

_High Priestess Andromeda._

Hange didn’t know that the church provided a priest of a female sex. Usually, they were rather uptight to who gets that title. But, it seemed that they had changed their mind and she really didn’t know much about the church of the walls anyway. She picked out one of the letters to find several clues of who she was.

**_Erwin Smith,_ **

**_Your offer is tempting. I will try to consult this to the council of whether I should accept this or not. In the meantime, I would like to know what the scouts do as a part of military acts of the wall. Please reply to this letter as soon as possible._ **

**_Best regards High Priestess Andromeda._ **

Her heart dropped because of the first impression the letter had made. Erwin had been leaking information towards the church and could potentially be a mole inside the survey corps. But she would not jump into conclusion as soon as possible. Erwin always had a reason to do something even if it was questionable at first. Hange picked out another letter from the pile to find other clues. So far, she could theorize that Erwin had made an offer towards the church of the wall.

This one seemed to be older than the first one. She could know this from how the edge of the papers had turned to a yellow colour. She opened the seal and took a deep breath to calm herself down.

**_Erwin Smith,_ **

**_I know that it seemed to be an out of reach idea but it is true. Secrets were sworn off for the safety of the public. The knowledge of the outside world was scarce because of it. I can only do this to you because of your title and the information that I had of you towards your curiosity of the outside world. I know words are not sufficient enough but let me provide you another reason to trust me. This letter is attached towards a photograph of the outside world. The choice is in your hand whether you want to believe me or not. If you do not reply within a month then I will consider that you rejected the possibility._ **

**_Best regards High Priestess Andromeda._ **

Hange was even more confused. What the hell is a photograph was her first thought. The contents of said letter was just the writing from the High Priestess with no sign of the attached ‘photograph’. The more she read the letter the more questions popped up in her head. Answers were close to none and it only left her frustrated.

“Eren, don’t throw this box away and leave it here,”

She gathered a few more cadets to make the cleaning work faster. She was desperate to find what had transpired between Erwin and the High Priestess. It was rather obvious that exchanging information had happened between them but she didn’t know what Erwin had provided for the High Priestess and vice versa.

In the mention of cleaning said office, Levi was also there to help her. He did make the work quicker but her ears had almost fallen off when she heard so many times he had reprimanded the cadets of their work. It was worth it though because she had more time to scan the letters. She had gathered from the one sided conversation that Erwin and Andromeda had made a deal regarding information. The late Commander had provided information regarding the Scouts, the live around the base, and other miniscule things.

But Hange’s mind had travelled towards the said proof of a photograph. She still had no idea what it was but she was going to search from top to bottom what it was.

“Oy, four-eyes, start cleaning or I’m going to shove this rug on your face,”

Levi’s voice broke her out of her reverie and she took notice that there were only the two of them inside Erwin’s office. The cadets probably had done their job and they were pretty amazing at it. The once paper filled room was cleaned and ready for Hange to use. There was one last thing that they needed to do which was cleaning Erwin’s bedroom.

Levi probably told the cadets to leave it up to him and Hange to clean it. She must tell Levi this as soon as possible there was no way she could not tell him this. He was close to the late Commander that maybe he knew of someone called Andromeda when he had talked to Erwin.

“Levi, do you know if Erwin’s close to someone?”

“Does it matter who he is close with?” he raised an eyebrow at her halting his current duty which was sweeping the remaining dust.

“Please, Levi, it’s really important. Had Erwin mentioned anyone from the church of the walls? Or anyone by the name of Andromeda?”

“Not that I know of, no. You know how Erwin’s always called the church as stupid imbeciles who closed themselves off from truths. Hange mind telling me what the hell is going on,”

Hange glanced at the door and Levi nodded at her. He closed and locked the door so that they could talk freely without any worry that anyone would have overheard them. She beckoned Levi to come near her. He noticed the sprawled papers on the table and concluded that it was probably letters that had been sent to Erwin.

“Take a look at this and tell me I am not imagining things,”

Levi scanned the letters and his eyes that were once uninterested began to settle into a hard glare. Erwin’s had been pulling some strings behind the scouts back since he didn’t know anything about this. With these many letters, he could only presume that it had been going on for a long time. He picked up several papers to make sure that his eyes were not shit at telling truths.

Erwin even in death you always gamble things for the sake of humanity, Levi thought.

He noticed one letter that was not yet sent by Erwin to this High Priestess. He read it carefully since there were some words that he could not see. The splotched inks were from Erwin’s tears, Levi noticed. He must have written this before his sudden demise from the retake of Wall Maria yet didn’t have time to send it to her. With those thoughts, Levi clutched the letter tighter.

**_Andy,_ **

**_In truth, I do not know if I am going to make it through this mission. I have come to realize that this will be my last letter and my last plea to you. If you cannot take me then please take my people with you. Please. I am not pleading you as the Commander of the Survey Corps but as Erwin Smith the man that you had trust with all of your heart. Take them there and deliver them to a place where they are needed most._ **

**_I will put my faith in you, Andy._ **

**_So long._ **

**_Erwin Smith._ **

The bastard knew that the retake of Wall Maria will cost so many lives but Levi didn’t know that he would go this far. They needed to find this Andromeda woman since she is his last link Levi had. Tomorrow, they will travel to Mitras and maybe they could ask around the church to find this woman. The letter must be sent to her and Levi needed to know what the hell Erwin had planned.

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	4. Ghost of My Ghost

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𓂀

Mitras welcomed the Scouts with honourable greetings and festivities. They were not usually greeted with this much warmth since most people think that the Scouts were merely a troublesome bunch that ate their taxes. Now, with their mission to retrieve Wall Maria had been successful a festival to commemorate their victory had been commissioned by the Queen. However, for the Scouts, the victory didn’t feel like it at all.

The horrors of what had transpired there filled them with sorrows. Not to mention the findings in Eren’s basement had only left them with more questions. The people were yet to be notified of such occurrence since there was an inkling of suspicion that it would jeopardize the status quo. They would deal with the issue after the festival had concluded. For now, the smiling faces and proud glint of some of the surviving cadets were enough to satisfy Hange. 

She took a huge gulp of air when she got out of the carriage. She never liked to be cooped up in an enclosed space especially with an annoyed Levi.

“Ah, finally some fresh air,”

She gazed towards the castle where they would reside for five days. The Queen would like to honour them with her highest regards for the honourable members of the survey corps or what was left of it. She saw the Commander of the Military Police, Nile Dok, come up to her and offered his hands of greeting.

“Welcome Commander Zoe, I would like to offer you my congratulations on your successful mission on retaking Wall Maria. Some of my men will be taking you to your designated chambers,”

“Thank you, Commander Dok,” she nodded and he returned it.

She was ascending the white marble staircase when she heard her name being called from behind her. Hange saw Jean rushed to her side while shoving Eren who was walking rather slowly. The latter shouted at him but it would seem that he didn’t mind.

“Commander, may I be excused from my duty? I would like to visit a friend of mine before we settle,” he saluted her.

“Do what you want but don’t go out too late unless you want to be late to the ceremony,”

He gave her a small smile and hurried his way down to the streets of Mitras. But not before he was stopped by his group of friends that got too nosy as always.

“Wow hold your horses there, Jean. I thought that you have no connections here,” Connie asked with a smirk.

“Just because I stay in the base for a while doesn’t mean I don’t have friends, idiot,” Jean glared at him.

“Oh my god! Is it the pretty lady that you always draw -”

Jean shut Sasha up before she could get her words out. Hange overheard their conversation and that brought a smile to her face. The laughter of the cadets brings a delightful memory when she and Mike would tease the hell out of Levi. Now, she got to see them in a shadow so similar to them.

She was unpacking her bags when a glint of a certain pocket watch had caught her eye. She took it out of her bag and sat down to admire it. The watch was a gift from one of her dearest subordinates since she always forgets the time when she was so caught up in her experiments. Said person had given her that and she would never forget to bring it with her wherever she went. Now, the more she admired it the more tears would gather. She remembered fondly of how he would nag her to get some rest, eat, and come to a meeting. Now, he had become a name on a piece of paper as an act to notify the Queen of who had died in battle.

Moblit Berner.

As fond, as he was, she would not let the memories wash her away. So, she rummaged her bag searching for anything that could occupy her mind. A manila folder had caught her attention. She opened the folder to find Erwin’s letter regarding a high priestess called Andromeda. She had a few hours left before the ceremony happened and she would do anything to escape from the wide-eyed ghost of her past. 

She put on her cape and traversed the corridor of the dimly lit castle in search of this mysterious priestess. She had done a bit of extensive research with the help of Levi before their departure to Mitras. To get into the Capital’s church would require a lot of time unless you are part of it yet Hange seemed to find a backdoor for it.

The church had joined with the other people in the Capital to commemorate the Survey achievement. Thus, she could sneak through the backdoor to have a little one-on-one conversation with a priest there. It would take a lot of effort on her behalf if the other party is not willing to cooperate. She prayed to the Walls that she could find answers there.

No one wanted to paint Erwin as a traitor in such away. Not when he had done everything he could in the mission before his departure.

It felt wrong knowing that these people in Mitras were celebrating the overtaking of Wall Maria. The bright decorations contrasted differently from the Scouts feeling of this so-called ‘success’. She clutched her hood tighter to calm herself down from the influx of thoughts. She still had a job to do.

She found herself on the bustling front of a church located near the palace. If her and Levi’s findings were correct then this must be the central church for all the church that was settled all across the Wall. A perfect place to find this valuable woman. She took a deep breath and slipped through the crowd who were preparing for the celebration. She had a few hours before daylight to execute this rushed plan of hers. She knew that she had to do this now before she was swept away by the mountain of duties and burden Erwin had placed upon her shoulders. With Wall Maria sealed, there’s a duty to exterminate the remaining Titans that were trapped. Not to mention the discussion of the information of the world outside the wall. They postponed the announcement towards the civilian but she knew that it would not last long.

The high priestess could give her answers of what Erwin had done and the extent of his deal with her. If Erwin did give her information regarding the Scouts, then he could be branded a traitor for all she knew. Tarnishing his reputation was not on her consciousness to do so but duty must be done. So, she knocked twice on the door of the priest of the church and when he opened it a scowl was present on his face once he looked at her scouts’ patch.

“I have no business with the scouts here. You can leave from this place at once,” the priest said to her while slamming the door on her face.

But, Hange was faster than the priest. She put her foot before the door closed and the priest had no chance physically with a soldier. She barged into his room with a wide smile on her face knowing that she had cornered him. The priest looked baffled that she would do this but had no guts to stand up for himself.

“I’m sorry to intrude on your daily things. But, I just want to ask a few questions about the church in general,”

The priest only sighed and gave in to her request.

“Make it quick. I still have a ceremony to attend to,”

Hange plopped herself down on the seat across the priest and took out several papers containing reports of what she had found from Erwin’s letters. She coughed to clear out her nerves since she would not know the outcome of this interrogation. Worst case scenario her thoughts on Erwin’s betraying the corps would be true and his reputation would cease from Survey Corps greatest commander to a traitor just like Reiner and Bertholdt.

“I was wondering if you could shed some light regarding information that you have that has been withheld from the public,”

“And what information are you insinuating?”

“Of anything beyond the Wall,”

The priest widened his eyes whether it’d be from fear or shock; she didn’t know. His sharp intake of breath wasn’t amiss from her. She took it as a subtle sign to confirm her thoughts. The church had more information about the outside world than they said.

“We recently discovered a member of your church giving us information about the outside world through letters that were sent rather frequently to the base,”

“Even if there is someone who told you about the outside world it would be hard for us to search whom since the church connections are so vast,”

“Then the Scouts will help you,”

The priest merely scoffed at the idea.

“And continue to tarnish valuable property of the church? Besides you come here without a warrant came from the Queen so there’s not much you can do,”

“At least can you confirm one thing? Just this once,”

The priest sighed and looked at her to find any sort of sign whether she was lying or not.

“Fine. What do you have?”

If the situation was not this serious, Hange would have lept in delight but she merely gave him a tense smile. She was prepared for what she was about to hear. If there was a high priestess named Andromeda then the probability of Erwin’s role as a mole in the Scouts would skyrocket and she would have no choice but to report this to the General.

“I was wondering if you can give me any information about a high priestess named Andromeda. Her location and what she had been doing for the past years would be an immense help for the military,”

What she didn’t expect was the up roaring laughter of the priest. It left a condescending note to Hange and it didn’t sit well with her. However, it did make her heart beat faster. The latter calmed himself down and wiped a few tears of it.

“I admit that you have such entertaining humour in the midst of this chaos. I applaud you for making me laugh, Scout,”

“I assure you, priest, that I have no intention of being a joke,” Hange raised an eyebrow.

“Well then to entertain you a bit, the church never had a priestess let alone a high priestess, to begin with. There’s never been a priest of the opposite sex ever since the church was founded so to me now you are just asking a gibberish question. Now, if you’ll excuse me I have a ceremony to attend too. Until next time,”

The priest rose up from his seat and left Hange alone in the room. She was left with more questions than an answer. The silence of the room didn’t help with her growing thoughts. It seemed to whisper her more uncertain things that mixed up with her worry.

Then who did Erwin send those letters to?

𓂀

The main hall of the castle was filled with soldiers of different branches waiting for the ceremony to commence. The front was not much different since it was also bustling with people wanting to see the so-called hero. Confetti’s fall to the ground like snow and delighted faces flushed exposed to the sun. But, it all went past Hange’s head.

The priest's last word to her still echoed in her head. She hadn’t told Levi about her findings since she didn’t have time to do such a thing. She had stayed cooped up in the room before a Military Police knocked on the door telling her that her presence was required in the main hall. Hange hadn’t got a wink of sleep after her conversation with the priest.

Not coming up with answers, her mind’s only filled with more questions about Andromeda’s true identity. Her conclusion about Andromeda had been false completely and the priest denying her existence didn’t help at all. Andromeda had become Erwin’s personal friend, from what she had read scarcely, and her personal ghost.

A name. A title. Yet, not a face where she could put those things.

She felt a familiar presence of the last remaining Captain of the Survey Corps. He was standing next to her gazing towards the crowd but she knew he wasn’t admiring the commotion below. Levi must be curious about her findings. He always knew what she had been doing, and she didn’t have the option to hide it since she wasn’t a perfect liar.

“Tell me what you find, Hange,” Levi started.

“How did you know I was out?”

“I came to your room and didn’t find you there last night. So spit it out. You look like about to burst from curiosity,”

She sighed. He always knew her too well sometimes.

“I didn’t find her,”

“You really think it would be easy to find her. I mean she was regarded as a high priestess for a reason,” he scoffed.

“No, I mean I can’t find her, Levi,”

He raised an eyebrow and Hange could see it from her peripheral vision.

“What do you mean you can’t find her?”

“She didn’t exist. That’s why,” she glanced.

Levi finally took his eyes off of the window and looked at Hange as if she was a madman. She didn’t have time to exactly tell Levi everything with them minutes away from meeting Historia, but she assumed that he wouldn’t get off her ass until she told him. Levi was a very persistent man especially when he didn’t get his way. One way or another he’s going to come for his answer whether it is by force or not.

“Look something is not adding up and I don’t know what it is. All I know is that we are chasing a ghost that was held by another ghost. And you know how it’s going to end if we are chasing a person from a cold trail. I can’t tell you what it is but my guts tell me that this whole fiasco is not as simple as it is,”

“Even in death, he always makes it hard for us, huh,” Levi wondered out loud.

Hange couldn’t agree more with him. Erwin had been playing a game that he himself knew of but none of the present people knew of. A typical occurrence for the dead man but still she couldn’t help but feel there is something more than just Erwin leaking information. The man loved to gamble with a lot of things such as his position, his dignity, even the life of his soldiers but she knew one thing about him was that he wouldn’t gamble if it wasn’t for the good of humanity.

Somehow that thought didn’t settle with her at all.

What kind of offer that this ghost had for him that he risked being seen as a traitor to his people?

“We’ll talk about this when the ceremony is over. Let’s focus on one thing first,” Hange suggested.

Levi could merely nod and went to the kids so that he could notify them that the ceremony was about to begin.

However, she couldn’t contemplate her thought much when Historia came into the room. She would deal with her thoughts later. Because first, she had a duty to attend to. The last remaining nine of the Survey Corps had stood front with Hange in the middle between Mikasa and Eren. She could see how nervous the latter cadets were with how he wouldn’t meet anyone’s eyes.

Hange settled with giving a comforting hand on his shoulder. It was her duty as a commander now with Erwin gone. Eren was brought back to reality and looked her in the eye. She could see the glazed look on his eyes and tried to find the reason why. His stare however didn’t remain long after he knew who had touched him.

“You okay, Eren,”

“Yeah, Hange. I’m just nervous,” he gulped.

His eyes fleeted elsewhere, a sign Hange took as him not telling the truth.

“A penny for your thoughts then?” she tilted her head.

He took his gaze away from her eye and looked towards the floor. Eren knew that he could trust her but with his visions of what seemed to be the memories of the previous successor of the Attack Titan made him question the so-called reality that he had been living. Images of a place so similar to his home behind the walls invaded his mind.

He was left with more questions than he had anticipated.

“I thought that by going to my father’s basement we will have an answer to what happened. But now, we were only left with unanswered questions and more doubts. I’m just not sure if this is what we wanted in the first place,” he trailed off.

He didn’t even fully understand the power of the Attack Titan. He knew he was seeing memories of his previous successor but then what about the rest of it. He remembered vividly of hanging fairy lights and children’s laughter with eyes that belonged to someone who had never once seen pain. But he wasn’t even sure whether it was the Attack Titan showing someone’s memory or if it was his mind who had begun to slowly unravel.

“It took us by surprise if I’m being honest myself. Knowing that there are other people outside the walls and all that. But know this that at least now we have an inkling of what happened,” Hange ended it with a soft smile. She had tried her best to calm down his thoughts.

Eren couldn’t help but reciprocate her smile albeit it was small. It gave him a bit of comfort knowing that at least the mission to retake Wall Maria wasn’t in vain but there were other problems that have yet to be addressed. What was the Attack Titan true power and why did the past memory was triggered now? He couldn’t conclude anything as of now since he was blind with his own capabilities and there were no records of extensive background about said titan. It felt as if he was being pushed towards the unknown and he didn’t like that one bit.

Eren saw that the Survey Corps were kneeling and he went down with them. He saw that Historia had made her way towards the end of the line, which happens to be the Commander. He could see from his peripheral vision that the Queen was tying the Bolo tie and the latter kissing her hand after that. The Bolo tie was only given to those who had served quite well in the army. But to him, he was inadequate to earn such a title.

Historia was getting closer by the minute and the urge to run was getting bigger. He didn’t want a title, he wanted answers. Eren just wanted to wrap this up and go to this said place called Marley across from Paradis. He prayed to the Walls that his questions were about to be answered to his growing thoughts of his powers, the conflict, and just overall truth.

Yet, before he could kiss Historia’s hand, a light was seen behind the window that was different than the sunlight. That was when he noticed following the light was a huge smoke wafting through the air. A fire had started and a series of a gunshot was heard beyond the room where he was standing. A riot has started and he could see that the Military didn't know what was going on. But, Eren knew what had happened.

An attack had commenced.

.

.

.


End file.
